There are many types of exercisers for both arms and legs. Most of these are of the rope and pulley variety, with weights and/or springs to establish the load on the various limbs. This provides motion and tension of the muscles, but does not, accurately, imitate the process of walking, or provide real therapy in this area. Other exercisers are of the treadmill variety to give the function of walking without moving from a given location. This is often necessary or desirable where there is no convenient place to run or walk; or the weather is inclement; or the individual needs a controlled situation.
However, all of the treadmills have a single tread for both legs, and while they can be controlled in many ways, such as by raising the forward end of the treadmill, to provide a slope to climb against; or by friction mechanism that may provide a variable drag against the progress of the treadmill. Meters and other attachments may be provided to record the speed and the force utilized in the operation of the treadmill. However, none of the available treadmills can vary the load on either of the legs individually--or on the arms of the exerciser.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a treadmill having a separate, articulated tread for each of the legs of the user.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a dual treadmill wherein each of the treads can be controlled separately. The treads may, in fact, be controlled by separate motor-generators that may provide a supplemental force to either legs when energy is applied, or provide a given drag to either leg, when a load is applied for therapeutic purposes.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an exercise device that includes separate arm devices as well as separate leg devices that may all be individually controlled to supplement or attenuate the motions of both arms and legs.